School
Faculty
Lisa Mayer Lang, School Director
View Biography
| Ms. Mayer began her Toledo Ballet training at the age of six under the direction of Marie Vogt. Two years later she was cast as Clara in the Nutcracker, which was one of her most thrilling moments while studying at Toledo Ballet. Ms. Mayer went on from Toledo Ballet and won the prestigious Toscanini scholarship at the acclaimed Interlochen Fine Arts camp. She furthered her training at Ruth Page in Chicago with Larry Long, and Ballet West where she worked with the great William Christiansen, Bruce Marks and Toni Lander. For 20 plus years, Ms. Mayer worked as a professional dancer in NYC and studied with some of the best ballet masters in the world. Some of her Master Teachers and Colleagues include the great David Howard, Nancy Bielski, Finis Jhung, Michael Vernon, Bobby Blankshine among others. She has performed internationally, partnering with former New York City Ballet principal Gen Horiuchi . Some of Ms. Mayer’s favorite roles she has performed include leading roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Symphony in C, Eugene Onegin, and of course, the Nutcracker. Broadway credits include CATS (Sillabub, and Victoria), CAROUSEL at Lincoln Center, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, where she performed the lead role of Belle at the famed Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She performed in Barry Manilow’s show HARMONY (playing opposite Patrick Wilson) , KISS ME KATE, with Tony award winning choreographer Kathleen Marshall, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and WONDERFUL TOWN with Brooke Shields. Ms Mayer was also featured at CARNEGIE HALL in the WOMEN OF BROADWAY, with such legendary performers as Julie Andrews, Barbara Cook, Angela Lansbury, Rosie O’Donnell, and Liza Minelli to name just a few. She also danced behind Gene Kelly on ABC television in LIBERTY WEEKEND. Lisa has worked in television with Conan O’brien, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Rosie O’Donnell as well as in film and commercials. Lisa has also served as a judge for many national dance competitions. In 2006, Ms. Mayer was named Toledo Ballet School Director. She is an ABT CERTIFIED TEACHER, who has successfully completed the ABT ® Teacher Training intensive in the Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, in the prestigious Musical Theatre Department, one of the top 2 programs of its kind in the United States. lmayer@toledoballet.net |
Michael Lang
View Biography
| Michael Lang began dancing at the age of four in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. He has studied dance at the Jordan School of Fine Arts and with Linda Rees in Indianapolis; with Gus Giordano and at Lou Conte’s in Chicago and at Steps and Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Mr. Lang also studied tumbling with Dwight McPheeters and was an Indiana State Champion Diver. Mr. Lang’s theater credits include the original Los Angeles and Broadway productions of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, in which he performed the role of Lefou and was featured for nearly a decade as the “Tumbling Carpet;” CATS in Hamburg, Germany; DAMES AT SEA; HELLO DOLLY in Chicago, IL: A CHORUS LINE, Michigan Ensemble; 42nd STREET, Indianapolis, IN; GREASE, Miami, FL. Television and film credits include: Cold Case, Late Night with David Letterman, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and General Hospital. Mr. Lang has also taught competitive gymnastics and is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and a licensed massage therapist. Mr. Lang serves on the faculty of The Toledo Ballet and has served as Artistic Director of its spring productions. Additionally, Mr. Lang has choreographed St. John’s Jesuit High School’s musicals, LÉS MISERABLES (2008) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2009). mlang@toledoballet.net |
Steven Brown
View Biography
| Steven began his ballet studies at The Toledo Ballet School with Marie Vogt and Velta Cernonok. He has gone on to study on scholarship at many highly regarded schools including Houston Ballet Academy, the former School of Cleveland Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, and The School of American Ballet and Steps Studio in NYC. In addition to dancing lead roles with Toledo Ballet, Mr. Brown has also danced with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Ballet Ensemble, Wisconsin Ballet Theatre and Montana Ballet. Mr. Brown completed degree requirements and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ballet from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Mr. Brown also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from the University of Toledo. Steven has been on th faculty of The University of Toledo, Owens College and The University of Findlay. Steven has also taught at Cincinanti School for Creative and Performing Arts and dance FX Academy, Toledo. Most recently, Steven has been a guest artist with the Bartlesville Civic Ballet in Oklahoma. Steven continues to dance, teach and choreograph works with The Toledo Ballet. steven.brown@toledoballet.net |
Kristin DelVerne
View Biography
| Kristi holds a BA in Fine Arts from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with a major in dance. While getting her degree, she also performed numerous classical ballets with the Cincinnati Ballet as a corps member. She then moved on to dance at the Ruth Page Foundation in Chicago as well as the Chicago Ballet. She began her training at The Toledo Ballet and spent summers training in New York and The North Carolina School oh the Arts. She has been back in the Toledo area teaching with The Toledo Ballet for more than 10 years. Contact Kristin. |
Frances Fu
View Biography
| Frances began dancing at the age of three with the Christina Liao School of Ballet in Hong Kong, winning a scholarship at the age of eleven. She completed the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) advanced level and at sixteen was accepted under the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under the direction of Graeme Collins, former principal of the English National Ballet. She has also trained with instructors from The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and China National Ballet. She was the soloist in Christina Liao’s CINDERELLA and has dances the roles of little swan, big swan, and princess in SWAN LAKE, blue bird in SLEEPING BEAUTY, and fairy in DON QUIXOTE. Currently a pharmacy major at University of Toledo, this is Md. Fu’s second year on the Toledo Ballet faculty and as a Resident Guest Artist.Contact Frances |
Jeanie Bugert Hayward
View Biography
| Jeanie has a B.Ed. from The University of Toledo with graduate work in Guidance and Counseling. She is a former ballet student of Marie Bollinger Vogt and Velta Cernonok at The Toledo Ballet. Jeanie also enjoyed tap and jazz, allowing her the opportunity to "tap down Broadway" in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade six years ago. She has studied ballet in New York City at Steps on Broadway with David Howard and Nancy Bielski and the Joffrey School of Ballet. Her teaching experience includes working with first graders in both the Toledo Public and Sylvania Public School Systems. She taught at Olivet Christian Nursery School and served as the Director for 18 years. Jeanie has taught ballet in the Toledo Area for over ten years including The Toledo Ballet School and BGSU. Nine years ago she created a program "Learning in Motion" which takes dance and movement into the Central City Ministry Schools. This year she has added Mary Immaculate School to her schedule. jeanie.hayward@toledoballet.net |
Ann Heckler
View Biography
| Ann Heckler has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Theatre/Dance from Alma College. As a young girl she trained at the Ballet Arts School in Kalamazoo, Michigan and was a member of the Ballet Michigan Ensemble. She danced Taglioni in Pas de Quatre at the summer intensive training at the prestigious Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. From 1985 to 1989 Ms. Heckler performed with the Orchesis Dance Company at Alma College (where she danced the part of Kitri in Don Quixote) and danced with the Alma Highland Kiltie Dancers. While a student at Alma College, Ms. Heckler taught a semester of Ballet I, II and III. Throughout her extensive teaching career, she has taught pre-ballet through elementary classical ballet classes and character classes, including Mazurka, Tarantella, Czardas, and the Highland Fling. In addition to teaching weekly ballet classes, Ms. Heckler is also a Registered Yoga Instructor, teaching weekly yoga class for teens and adults at the Toledo Ballet studios. ann.heckler@toledoballet.net |
Caitlin Hudson
View Biography
| Caitlin began dancing in Phoenix at the age of seen. At the age of twelve, she began dancing professionally with the modern dance company Center Dance Ensemble under the direction of Frances Cohen. At fourteen, she enrolled in New School for the Arts. After relocating to Michigan, Ms. Hudson danced in Flint and at Eastern Michigan University with Sherry Jerome, where she danced the role of Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream. Ms. Hudson moved to Toledo in 2006 and recently joined the Toledo Ballet faculty and danced in the 2007 Nutcracker. caitlin.hudson@toledoballet.net |
Kathy Humphrey
View Biography
| Kathy, a former student of the Toledo Ballet, comes home to share with us her knowledge and love of dance. She furthered her ballet training in Akron, Chicago, NYC, and Paris, and expanded her dance training by studying modern, jazz, African dance, and yoga. She has performed professionally with modern dance companies in NYC, and jazz in Paris. Kathy has many years of experience teaching young dancers through adults. Most recently, she taught in the Toledo Ballet’s First Steps program in Toledo Public Schools’ kindergarten classrooms. kathy.humphrey@toledoballet.net |
Armon Miller
View Biography
| Armon, with devoted assistance from her great grandmother, Mary Jeffries, was a ballet student at The Toledo Ballet School, won herself major scholarships to study at the School of American Ballet, and went on to dance with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Alvin Ailey II. Armon has been a jazz instructor at The Toledo Ballet School for many years. She recently choreographed Missa Kenya which Toledo Ballet co-presented with Masterworks Chorale. armon.miller@toledoballet.net |
Ariel Warrick
View Biography
| Ariel has grown up with Toledo Ballet, beginning at age 8. Toledo Ballet is truly a Warrick family affair, with 4 Warrick children studying ballet. Ariel has performed many roles including Snowflake, Spanish and Flower in Nutcracker, Mazurka and Czardas Girl in Coppelia, Wendy in Peter Pan, and solos in the original production Outside the Lines. Ariel joined the Toledo Ballet faculty in 2008. ariel.warrick@toledoballet.net |
Cheryl Walter
View Biography
| Ms. Walter grew up dancing at Toledo Ballet and danced with the Company from 1981 – 1990. While a student at University of Toledo, she was a Dancing Rocket-et. Her dance teacher training includes Cecchetti Council of America Teacher’s Exam Levels I – III. She graduated from University of Toledo with a BA in Spanish and currently also works as a microbiologist at Mercy St. Vincent and Mercy St. Anne Hospitals. Contact Cheryl |
Beverly Robinson
View Biography
| Ms. Robinson holds an MFA in Dance Performance from University of Michigan as well as a BA in Dance from Bowling Green State University. In addition to being a Toledo Ballet faculty member who teaches tap, she currently also teaches at Dance Alliance in Saline, MI and for Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Education and Recreation. Prior to these positions, Ms. Robinson served as Assistant Professor for dance majors and other students at Bowling Green State University as well as an instructor in the Arts Unlimited programs at BGSU. Contact Beverly |